Empowering Learners Through Applied STEM Learning

Empowering Learners Through Applied STEM Learning

Empowering Learners Through Applied STEM Learning

I love this photo! This is one of the students in Feather and Fin Workshops sponsored by City of Columbus Parks and Recreation this summer! This is what empowering learners through applied STEM learning looks like.

Give Kids Tools And Schools

In our workshops we look for opportunities for kids to see the world through new eyes. in the case of this photo it was through the eyes of a robotic fish health monitoring robot with a 1080P camera. The kids loved monitoring the fish from the BoiEngineering Lab.

Sometimes school is the best place for kids to learn. But there is something to be said for change of pace, change of place as well. The Mezzacello Urban Farm Summer Workshop Series was dedicated to just that point.

We pride ourselves on giving kids the tools and schools they need to see the worl – literally – through fresh eyes. This new data can help them better solve problems, and see new patterns. This is how we and they will change the world for the better.


This is a part of the City of Columbus Parks and Recreation Summer Grant Grant #1521-2023.



Tour of the Pond at Mezzacello

Tour of the Pond at Mezzacello

The Shark Cam capturing the fish in the summer pond

I decided today to break out the Shark Cam and capture some footage of the pond this summer. It came out pretty good so I loaded it up to YouTube. Here is a tour of the pond at Mezzacello.

Hi-Res cameras like this allow us to see the health of the fish and the pond infrastructure close up. I can see the health of the scales and gills, as well as how much sludge I have to clean up. I really need to power wash my pump!

Rick collects koi and he has a decent collection of them here and three generations of fish. I love how curious they are when they see the camera coming at them! It makes monitoring them this way so much more fun.

Summer Camper’s Delight

This is a view of the pond from the surface. The hula hoop allows us to monitor and easily feed the fish.

The City of Columbus Parks and Recreation were delighted by the sharkcam. They loved their ability to watch and diagnose the finish in their native environment. Surprisingly, the students used the hi-res camera to diagnose the fish for healthy scales was an unexpected benefit!

We added a hula hoop with a pool noodle buoyancy ring to the pond. This ring allowed the students to peer into the pond through clear and unobstructed water. This was also where they inserted the sharkcam and the hi-res waterproof camera.


This is a part of the City of Columbus Parks and Recreation Summer Grant Grant #1521-2023



The Garden of Grace and Charity

The Garden of Grace and Charity

On a recent trip to visit family in Norfolk, Virginia we found this lovely piece of sculpture in our favorite garden store in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Wright and Anderson. We thought instantly of the John Berendt novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil“. We will call Mezzacello the garden of grace and charity.

Of all the virtues to balance we strongly believe in the power and beauty of grace and charity. These two are the cornerstones of kindness and love. They deserve a spot in our gardens.

We’ll Call Her Charity

There is a story here. This statue was made famous for being on the cover of Berendt’s book and on the movie poster. The image is iconic: the young maid caught in a pose of reflective tranquility while balancing those two plates.

I have always thought of her as balancing grace and charity. These are very rare qualities and worth reflecting on. Mezzacello is also a non-profit 501(c)(3) so charity seemed appropriate.

Speaking Of Reflections

The statue reminds me of the physical manifestation of Mezzacello. The gracious formal gardens of the east and the applied STEM and production gardens of the west. This little statue is the fulcrum that those two realities are balanced upon.

Richard in his happy place on the Virginia Tidewater.

The statue has a personal subtext for us as well. Richard is a Virginia boy and loves the culture and sensibilities of the gracious south. I had just finished reading “Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil” when I met Rick. The man truly made me think of one of the more charming and eccentric characters from that book!

Fate and Foundations

It’s fate that we walked into that garden store and discovered Charity. Now we are driving her home (all 91 Kg (200 lbs) of her!) back to Ohio. This week I will dig a foundation for her, pour it, cure it, and set her in her new home behind the bakki shower at the pond.

Come by and visit her. She will always be happy for the visit and to never meet a stranger. Grace and charity are always ready, willingly given and balanced at Mezzacello Urban Farm.


Life Below Water and Fostering Sustainability

Life Below Water and Fostering Sustainability

Life below water and fostering sustainability is a critical component of the UN 17 SDGs. There is no hope for this planet without the water on this planet. This is true in a microcosm here at Mezzacello.

No other element brings as much to my success as this little oasis of water and life in my yard.

Jim Bruner

This entire endeavor I call Mezzacello would be completely unsustainable if there was no pond here. My pond is artificial – and deep. It is a microcosm of the value our oceans and fresh water systems bring to this planet.

So Much Value In So Little Space

At Mezzacello, much like on planet earth, I use every resource I possibly can from my pond. Unlike planet earth, my system must be maintained and managed if it is to survive. Unlike the people on planet earth, I know this is one of the most important treasures on this planet and I treat it with respect and dignity.

The ocean analogue of Mezzacello brings so much life to this Urban Farm. And it attracts and supports life in ways that I am often completely blind to. But I do see the effects of this integrated ecosystem.

All roads of sustainability come back to the pond and the rain. Everything depends on the water and the byproducts of the rain and pond water. Just like this planet.

Even the life in and on the water matters. Without the integrated network of fish, microorganisms and plants, this farm would become unaffordable and unsustainable in a hurry.

I didn’t know that when I added the pond initially. But it is very obvious today. No other element brings as much to my success as this little oasis of water and life in my yard.

When Things Go Bad, And They Do

Because my “ocean” is an artificial one and so when it goes bad (and it has) I have to reset it. We do not get this luxury with our oceans. If we allow CO2 buildup to acidify our oceans and kill the life within, there is no external biofilter.

We are part of the biofilter of this planet’s water, and right now we need to adjusted or replaced. Of all the global goals, this one is so super critical. From what I experience on my small urban farm, we are in big trouble if we do not manage this goal a lot better than we currently do.

We can do better and we know it. But we MUST start somewhere. The best place I know is to start with ourselves and try to influence outward.

So let’s get started. Spend some time watching a pond. It’s remarkable how much the air under there interacts with and influences the air up here.


Bakki Shower and Biofilter Combo

Bakki Shower and Biofilter Combo

The pond with the tower and the biofilter arrays.

This combo is the latest foray here at Mezzacello to care for the koi and the water quality of our aquatic ecosystem. It is called a bakki shower and is paired with an efficient biofilter combo. I am showing a breakdown of the bakki shower and biofilter combo systems here.

The Bakki Shower Tower Filter and Biofilter Assembly.
The Bakki Shower from above.
The biofilter with dirty sponges and water full of algae.
“Clean” sponges in the biofilter. I harvest the algae.
The temperature sensor for monitoring fish health and mating and feeding seasons.
Electrical array and auto power off sensor.
These systems keep the water surprisingly clear.

I will cover all of these systems in a later blog. This is just a detail of the systems for now. Check back and read how my systems integration plan went.


When Water Goes Missing

When Water Goes Missing

Removing the irises from the pons and 1000L of water in a cube.

During the summer of the 2020 pandemic lockdown we thought we had a serious problem with the pond. We were unsure what to do when water goes missing. Every week around 1,000 L of water would mysteriously disappear.

Uneven Levels

We first noticed it when the water hyacinths would become stranded on the shallow end of the pond. We never observed the link to be any less than the top 40 cm of the pond. After that the ”leak” would stop.

When I first built the pond I designed a frame on the back that would support the weight of planter boxes that would submerge in the pond. These boxes would contain irises that added structure and lush green to the pond.

Identifying the ”Leak”

This 40 cm area was obviously where the leak was. So I carefully removed the irises and the boxes as well as the engineered steel supports that held them up.

after all the support boxes were removed, I carefully inspected the rubber of the pond liner. Curiously I found nothing. No tears no leaks nothing.

The Real Culprit Identified

So I refilled the pond back up to its top level to test my theory that there were no leaks. Pond held water for two weeks. Meanwhile I hand watered the irises.

The iris is required a lot of water! But the pond never changed its level again. That meant there was only one culprit.

It appears that iris is pull up a lot of water and transpire it into the atmosphere. The iris is for thick hundreds of plants and one box. That’s a lot of surface area for evaporation to occur.

I did some research and sure enough irises transpirate a lot of water. I did some quick figures and over three weeks those irises were pulling 1000 L of water out of the pond and putting it back into the atmosphere. It was great for the echo system around but terrible for my bottom line.

An Expensive Applied STEM Lesson

So for the three weeks that I was noticing this water leak in my pond I was refilling the pond with city water. City water I have to pay for. City water full of chlorine and my pH and hardness were off the charts.

with the irises removed we switched plant sources from irises to water hyacinth. On really hot days we still lose probably 20 to 30 L of water a day. But that’s tolerable.

Besides the water hyacinth plays an important role in the aquatic ecosystem. Unlike the irises which for just for show. The water lettuce and water hyacinth are incredibly useful.

Unlike the irises which for just for show. The water lettuce and water hyacinth are incredibly useful.


Next-Level Algae Collection

Next-Level Algae Collection

This is a happy surprise post and unexpected realization about how I could achieve next-level algae collection at Mezzacello. It involves someone visiting and helping on the farm and being curious about what a chicken feather plucker does. As I was explaining how it worked, we realized this would work for algae as well.

Captures Algae Efficiently

You may be wondering what a chicken feather plucker is. Put simply it is a round stainless steel barrel with a motor on the bottom of a spinning base which also has 30 latex fingers that turn the chicken carcass. Picture a washing machine with rubber fingers instead of holes.

Where the holes are is where the fingers are and they stick out into the barrel. The feathers are removed by the friction of the latex fingers when a carcass is inserted and tumbles around against these fingers. The base spins while the drum remains still.

A Tool Not Torture

The Chicken Feather Plucker is a tool for harvesting humanely butchered animals. It is not a torture device. Please do not assume live chickens go into this. That is never and will never be the case.

Jim Bruner

The Surprising Insight

I was giving a tour for NDIA for their employees who were volunteering with me at Mezzacello on this summer day. This idea originated with Miles, an NDIA employee volunteer. We were 16 of us that day touring and working all over the farm.

We were working on multiple chores all over the farm – including changing out the biofilter and organizing tools and equipment. Changing the biofilter is a chore and the wet, algae-laden sponges are messy and require a day or two of drying before the algae can be scraped off. But the benefits of using the algae all over the urban farm are too good not to recycle this algae!

This is when my guest Miles saw the Chicken Feather Plucker. He was very intrigued that there was a machine with such a specific use. He was also involved in drying out the sponges from the biofilter and saw how much algae collected on the sponges and still needed to be scraped off and recycled.

Reframing The Problem

Feather removal is all I have ever used this chicken feather plucker device for in the past. When Miles understood the basic mechanics of the device he immediately saw how much chicken feathers and dried algae on biofilter sponges had in common. He also saw that cleaning algae off sponges is tedious work.

So I set up the plucker on the rubber mattes of the classroom and green house breezeway and put in the sponges. (See photo of the sponges in the gallery above). Even if it didn’t work, the frame of the plucker is stainless steel and the fingers were latex so it would be a snap to rinse it clean from whatever happened.

Biofilter interior
A cross section of the biofilter sponges and interior layout.

It was magic! Miles was right! In five minutes every biofilter sponge was clean as a whistle and the algae was pulverized and laying in a pile at the base of the plucker. I was astounded and delighted!

This insight will allow me to collect so much more algae in such a efficient and easy way! I am grateful to Miles and his curiosity and willingness to ask questions and make associations.

All this time I have been trying and failing to develop a system that would make algae collection less tedious and back breaking. In one afternoon a man from South Africa took one look at the feather washing machine idea and just said, “what about algae?” This is the power of #AppliedSTEM.

I would also like to take a moment and thank Angela Siefer and her amazing organization, NDIA for being so gracious and volunteering with me on 8/3/2022. So much good came from that day. Also if you don’t already know and support NDIA @NetInclusion you totally should!


Build Biomass To Make the Soil Black

Build Biomass To Make the Soil Black

Cutting back the woody stems of hydrangea and Anenome for chipping into biomass.

It’s November and that means the bioreactor will be changed out from its summer configuration to the winter phase. We build biomass to make the soil black. The proportions of browns and greens will shift more towards the browns now, so I need to start harvesting grass and fresh leaves as they are going to be scarce!

These woody bushes are a nice compromise as they contain the greens and the browns collectively. They respond very well in the bioreactor. In addition, there will be a bounty of ferns, and banana palm leaves to provide more of the greens. As well as the last of the cut grass. But beggars can’t be choosers.

Reframe “Community Garden”

This is where my community here in Columbus, OH (US) really shines. I have so many neighbors who are hobby gardeners. They don’t necessarily build ecosystems like mine. They grow specimen plants that are healthy and free of disease though. It helps that they are generally part of the SAME ecosystems as mine (relatively speaking) and so I know when there is a blight.

The hardest part of this is getting around to collecting all the plant material. Recently my truck was in a hit and run accident. City living in a transitional area has hidden costs. Luckily, I am always able to borrow my dear neighbor Randy’s truck. I’m lucky like that. The truck is functional again and today is the day I start collecting green biomass from my neighbors.

Ag-Focused Sanford and Son

If you need me I’ll be driving around Olde Towne East like a roboticist, Ag-Focused Fred Sanford from Sanford and Son, grabbing biomass where I can. If you don’t know that reference, don’t look it up. The music will get STUCK in your head! Cheers!


Label These Bags – The Story Continues

Label These Bags: Part 2

Aluminum Sulfate for the pond.

This is the story of why it is important to label these bags that are unmarked. A while ago I ordered useful minerals and amendments for use as I developed Mezzacello’s systems. It is not possible for And urban farm to develop a lot of the minerals and chemicals that are required for life.

It stands to reason that nature develops all of this herself; but she requires entire ecosystems, webs of life, time, and life and death to develop them. I do not have that luxury. Therefore, I need amazon.com. That’s where I order all of my minerals and chemicals, until the day I got a message saying that several of my orders were indicative of bomb making, but that’s another story.

Anyway several years ago bags and boxes started arriving at Mezzacello. It surprised me that they came so fast and I have to own the fact that I did a terrible job labeling them. This one box in particular was poorly labeled Just the box was labeled not the bag. By the time I got around to labeling it I’d forgotten what was in it. And to add insult to injury, I had no way of figuring out what it was. Point of fact, I am not a chemist nor do I have a chemistry lab. So I labeled it with ??? This is me adulting.

Spoiler Alert: Labels are important

Fast forward three years and I need what’s in this bag. I believed it was “Epsom salt”, (magnesium sulfate). Spoiler alert, it wasn’t. Luckily for me I only used a small amount of the “Epsom salt” in my pond. Turns out it was actually aluminum sulfate which is something that I needed in my pond as well. Well, that 15 minutes between the time I put the 100 mL of this substance into the pond and the point where the pond turned white were terrifying.

Not a Complete Disaster

As it turns out, aluminum sulfate is an excellent flocculant. What is a flocculant I hear you asking? It is something that causes material floating in water to collect and drop to the bottom of the water. I was trying to trade the water for hardness by adding magnesium sulfate to soften the water. When I actually achieved what is removing all the floating algae. Not a bad outcome, but not the best since I didn’t know what was happening.

The moral of this story

The moral of the story is; label your bags. I am really bad about this. I do it all the time maybe it’s because I think I can hold everything in my brain? Actually I cannot. My niece was helping me with this project and she did the research on Google as to why the water turned white. She figured out it was aluminum sulfate and she labeled It has such. Thanks Sarah!Five minutes later


Biofilter and Critical Race Theory

The Biofilter and Critical Race Theory

Returning to the Farm

I went on vacation last week. It was much needed. As an #UrbanFarmer it is so easy to slip into #workMode 24/7. Sometimes the mind needs time to discover new things. But #realityintrudes. I forgot to clean the biofilter in the pond before I left for a tour of #Monticello and #MountVernon so I could slip back into #CriticalThinking and #Discovery modes. While I enjoyed my visits IMMENSELY, what I came back to was an Urban Farm that was largely unfazed by my absence (Yay! Systems Engineering) But the #BioFilter is a unique #Ecosystem. It REQUIRES human intervention (for now).

I had two big jobs to focus on when I returned from my vacation.

1. Harvesting the dried algae from backup bio-media
2. Cleaning out the biofilter itself

Reframe the Topic

Both are labor intensive and somewhat regular. I usually do them in a staggered sequence, and I have a robot to do the first. BUT! That robot got broken on accident during my July summer camp. So I had to clean the sponges by hand. As I was grating the sponges across the metal hardware cloth and into the the metal sorting colander I was thinking. I just visited two #Worldclass plantation that used (almost exclusively) slave labor for menial tasks. Here I was bemoaning my broken robot and having to do the work MYSELF! Gasp! This is why Discovery mode is so very important. I saw firsthand what could be accomplished with slave labor. I refactored “slave labor” as automation. But the result is the same. This is when I realized I was really talking about #CriticalRaceTheory.

We spend so much time focusing on the now of that word in opposition to the fact that these events happened, we lose sight of the REASON that the idea is important to begin with. All great human products require effort. Just reframe the concept of effort as a system and the details become obvious. I know this a #PoliticallyCharged topic, but it really shouldn’t be. While I was manually grating algae off those plastic mesh sponges and scraping the wet algae off the interior of that biofilter, I took the time to daydream about Thomas Jefferson or George Washington would have thought about that. Reflect on that and reframe your perspective

The dried algae being harvested by hand since the robot was broken.